Chapter 34
Falcon
Riding up, we didn’t have any issues and the weather was perfect. Normally, I’d love that ride. Very little traffic, not too hot, but not cold, fresh air, and just me and my brothers with our Harleys on the open road. But I couldn’t get comfortable. Even though she was petite, I missed the extra weight on the bike. And my back felt naked without her tucked against me.
I texted her when we stopped for gas and that only made it worse. Giving her the phone when I did was probably more for me than her, but I was still happy to have a way to check in on her.
Another bike pulled up at the pump and I noticed a sissy bar on the back. Looking down at mine, I wondered if Daisy wanted one of those. Some of the guys with old ladies put them on when they rode together, but so far she’d done just fine tucked close against me. If she had the sissy bar, she wouldn’t have to hold on so tight. Was I a complete dick if I didn’t want her to be able to scoot back? After what felt like the longest ride, we met Petrov and his guys at our normal spot. IT seemed everything was back to usual with the pickup. Petrov Sr. was nowhere in sight.
Petrov walked over to me with a small box and Hawk went tense along with me, but we waited and watched. “My friend, a small gift,” Petrov said with a grin.
Hawk nodded for me to take it, so I grabbed the small white box. I slowly peeked inside then looked up. “Pastries. Thank you.” The sweet smell hit me in the face. I wanted to devour them but didn’t think crumbs and powdered sugar were suitable for the warehouse we did business in.
“I hope you can enjoy them before your long ride. Those are fresh from today. My sister.” He gave me a wink and my eyes went to Hawk.
Hawk smiled and put his hand out. “That was incredibly thoughtful. Maybe even his woman can sneak a taste.”
Petrov’s lips turned down into a mock frown and he covered his chest. “Oh, I see I cannot woo you into my family. I still hope you enjoy them.” He smiled then looked at Hawk. “She’s still fairly young, as father said. But soon, I’m sure we can find someone suitable.”
Hawk stayed calm and professional. Put that guy in a suit and he could close any deal. “I look forward to future discussions. But as you said, we have a long trip. Best to get to the business at hand for now. ”
“Speaking of business, you made a bit of noise at that strip club, Sweeties. My guys reported that the owners were looking for a group of men on motorcycles. You may want to avoid the area for now. I have them keeping an eye out.”
“They’re still in business, though?” I asked.
Petrov nodded. “It seems so. We’ve only had eyes on the establishment. Shall we add a tail?”
Hawk gripped his cut. “I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness, friend.”
My jaw clenched. I knew this wasn’t a club problem, and for now we needed to steer clear, but I wanted to know where that fucker lived. One way or another I’d get to him and I didn’t want to put any more women in danger. Maybe Keys could help.
I was pulled from my thoughts by Petrov. “Nonsense. Sounds like something we perhaps should be aware of. Plus, what’s a favor among friends?”
While our dealings with Petrov and his father were steady and amicable, we knew there was no such thing as favors among friends with the Bratva. But Hawk graciously accepted. “Please let us know if we can provide assistance. We can always plan a special trip…for friends.” Hawk motioned to Eagle and I to wrap up things with Petrov’s guys.
We got the truck loaded and waited for Hawk. We still had eyes on where he stood. Even though Petrov always seemed legit, we had to protect Hawk at all costs now. Even Eagle seemed more uptight than normal.
“You good, man?” I asked as I opened the box of pastries and pulled off a bite.
“Yeah. Just on edge.”
Rubbing my hands together to dust the powdered sugar off, I said, “I get it. Can’t stand the not knowing. We need to find this crime ring and get rid of them. I wouldn’t mind finding the owner of that club, too.”
Eagle ran his hands through his dark hair. “Yeah. Lacy told me some fucked up shit about that guy.”
“How’s that going?”
Eagle grinned. “Going, I guess. Not sure what it is really. She’s taken care of and we have fun. You seem pretty tight with Daisy.”
“Yeah.”
Eagle huffed. “No wonder she’s bored. You barely talk.”
A scowl formed on my face. “Bored? She told you that?”
“Calm down. She didn’t say shit. But you know the walls at the shop are pretty thin.”
Looking down, I realized my hands had balled into fists, so I relaxed them. “She’s not bored. She just wants some space. Wants to earn her own money but says the shop won’t pay enough and she knows we have the strip club.”
“So let her?” Eagle said with a confused look.
I shook my head, irritated at his ignorance. “With everything going on? Fuck no. We don’t know who is after us, why, or when they’ll strike next. I still think someone on the inside helped facilitate. And if that’s true, she could be a target.”
Eagle crossed his arms. “If Raven was being tailed, he would’ve known. We would’ve known. And he wouldn’t have had Mama Hen out with him. That shit reeks of a setup. Do you think it was something against Raven, or the club?”
“Not sure. But I have an uneasy feeling. I don’t think it’s over.”
“Well, it couldn’t have been you, me, or Rooster. Or those knuckleheads,” he said pointing to the guys in the truck. “We were here with Hawk when it happened, and even if it was planned ahead, none of us knew they would be out for a ride then.”
I pulled out my phone and sent another text to Rooster to keep eyes on Daisy and Mama Hen. He was probably sick of me. “That still leaves a lot of guys. We need to get back.”
Hawk finally made his way over and grabbed his helmet. “Ready brothers?”
“We stopping?” I asked.
“Yeah. Let’s get at least four hours of sleep. I want to get home, but we’re useless if we don’t make it back.” He started his bike, so we put on our helmets, fired up the Harleys, and headed off toward our normal hotel.
Eagle took the tail and Hawk and I led the truck. As we drove to the hotel, everything looked clear. After a few hours of sleep, we got back on the road while it was still dark out. I had to stop myself from flying. We didn’t need to draw any attention to ourselves, but I couldn’t get back fast enough.